“Kilburn” is Flutes’ second single taken from their self-titled debut album. It’s a single that shows a band mature beyond their years and will leave you yearning for more.
The track builds beautifully with ominous vocals, intricate guitars, and finally vocalist Godfrey’s deep lilting tones declaring “Burns said he could’ve predicted this, what did he know, what did he know?” The song is centred around the lesser known north London area of Kilburn where the band play with the imagery of Burns and Byron sitting in their local, tragically wooing the opposite sex over drink after drink only to wake up with self-loathing and regret the next morning.
It’s an interesting concept, one tinged with romantic melancholy and heartache—themes that commonly crop-up throughout their music, executing them with beauty and pitch perfect precision.
The single is supported by B-side “What Is Love,” a cover of the ’90s Haddaway hit. They’ve taken a song that was a typical upbeat, cheesy ’90s dance song and stripped it back and transformed it into one of the most melodically stunning covers we’ve heard in a long time. By doing this, the words have been given new purpose—it’s a stroke of genius.
“Kilburn” and B-side “What Is Love” are heart-wrenchingly stunning. Flutes are one of the very few bands out there making music that’s honest and pure. This is simply one of the best singles released by an independent band in a long while.
